Even
by OnixPrime
Summary: Riddick, Imam and Jack made it off the planet. But where do they go from there? And what happens to Jack and Riddick in the future? Find out...
1. Chapter 1 Jack Understanding

She could withstand it no longer. The vibrations of the ship and seemingly-warm glow of red coming from the center console just provided the perfect environment for all her senses to relax. She could sleep. For once, in almost a day and a half, she could rest. Her eyelids made their slow descent and the darkness behind them carried her away.  
  
The sound of bones crunching brought her quickly out of her slumber. She sat up screaming, sweat pouring down the back of her bald head and into the neck of her t-shirt. Gasping between each scream, she flailed her arms about, only to connect with something solid everywhere she turned. After a moment her head cleared and she opened her eyes. At once she brought her hands back, hugging her knees tightly to herself.  
  
Riddick smirked down at her. He was one of the solid things she had been hitting. The other had been the wall. Jack gulped air until her heart slowed.  
  
'That sound,' she thought, terrified. 'That horrible sound. It's going to follow me everywhere isn't it?'  
  
She was suddenly filled with the terrible certainty that every time she closed her eyes, she would hear it. The death that those terrible creatures had caused. She would even hear the deaths that she hadn't been there for. Zeke's death. Fry's. All of them. Those beasts would make sure she knew. They'd make sure she heard it all...  
  
Riddick's voice broke her thoughts off there. "Jack," he said.  
  
She whipped her head around and stared at him, looking directly into his eyes for a moment, and then looking down at her knees. She didn't feel good enough to look into the eyes of the man who had saved her, whether he was a murderer or not. She mumbled something in response to her name.  
  
She thought he would walk away, leaving her there in her humiliation. Instead he brought himself down to her level by resting on one knee. She cringed away from him in guilt, sure that he would yell at her for being such an ungrateful little bitch. After all, he had saved her life, and what was she doing on this ship sleeping? She could have been helping him navigate, or bandaging his leg, or organizing a story if they were intercepted on their way to New Mecca.  
  
Instead he spoke. "Jack, look at me." For some reason, she felt tears prickle the corners of her eyes. No, dammit, she couldn't cry now. Not in front of him.  
  
"It will follow you everywhere," he whispered, sending shivers of fear up and down her spine. "Learn to live with it, or it will kill you." With that, he stood and walked back to the front of the compartment where Imam sat in the copilot's chair.  
  
She exhaled loudly and lay back down on the metal bench. How had he known what she had been thinking? Maybe her thoughts had been so loud they had escaped her lips without her realizing it. Hooking an arm over her face, she inhaled the dusty smell of her own clothes and began to cry silently.  
  
Once again she was overcome by a sense of guilt. She realized that crying wasn't going to bring Fry or Shazza, or any of the victims for that matter, back from the dead. She had to be strong. Repeating this over and over in her head, her tears slowed and then finally stopped, leaving only trails on her dusty cheeks. Wiping the remaining liquid from her face, she glanced at the console and the other survivors sitting there.  
  
Riddick was just sitting there, a strange look upon his face. It was almost as if he knew he had spoken to her too harshly and felt sorry about it. Instead of confusing Jack more, she understood his facial expression. He said that the old Riddick was dead. The killer was gone. But old habits were hard to break. Being strong was the only way he knew how to be, and Jack felt no anger towards him. She realized that he was already on the road to changing himself. 


	2. Chapter 2 Riddick Helpless

Riddick had just reached the pilot's chair when he heard her. Turning just enough, he saw her put her arm over her face, sobbing into its fleshy comfort. He clenched his jaw and sat down. If she were coddled, she would get nowhere. He knew that. Of course, if he said just the right thing there was also the possibility of pushing her over the edge, too. He himself knew how fragile the human mind was. How easy it was to push someone just a little too far...

Forcing that thought out of his head, he sat down next to Imam and began punching buttons. New Mecca was definitely within range of the power cells, but Riddick tested them once again. Just to be sure.  
  
He was about to check on his leg when he felt eyes on him. It was Imam, he knew. Slowly and deliberately, Riddick turned to look Imam in the eye. For once, Imam's face seemed sad, even angry. But his eyes told a different story.  
  
'I pity you,' Imam's eyes said. At once a wave of rage rushed over Riddick. He didn't need pity right now. A nice hot shower, a good meal, and some medical attention maybe, but not pity. Then, as suddenly as it had come, the wave was crushed by something else. Defeat?  
  
Riddick abruptly scared himself by thinking of Fry. The face she had made before being ripped from his grasp. What she had said. What he had said. The rain, the blood, the wounds, the light, the dark, the monsters. The truth.  
  
He directed his eyes toward the console, realizing that he had come dangerously close to feeling something. Something besides anger and rage, which he had come to know so well. But now wasn't the time to be thinking of such things. He would have time to do that later. Right now, he had two people who were depending on him. It was an unusual feeling, one that he had never experienced before. The responsibility didn't scare him, but he was unsettled by it nonetheless.  
  
Switching to manual controls, he took a wide turn around a star. From the back of the cabin, he heard Jack's breathing deepen and knew that she had fallen asleep again. Secretly, he didn't blame her. If the opportunity had shown itself, he would have slept too. The three of them had been to hell and back, all expenses paid by that planet and the monsters that inhabited it.  
  
Riddick also understood that she was suffering severe emotional pain. Though he didn't want to get too deep into his own emotions, he knew how she felt. Lost, confused, and helpless. 


	3. Chapter 3 Jack Anger

The crash of the ship entering New Mecca's atmosphere woke Jack up with a start. This time though, she hadn't come-to screaming and punching.  
  
'A step in the right direction,' she thought.  
  
Riddick was moving swiftly about the front of the ship, punching buttons, letting out soft curses when switches stuck. He stepped lightly despite the wound in his leg. Imam was standing near Jack, holding on to a bar over the bunk she had been sleeping on.  
  
Finally, after a few more bumps and some quick decisions from Riddick, the ship landed and the airlock opened with a whoosh. Imam was frantic with energy, waiting to get into some friendly sunlight. Sunlight that hid no monsters behind it. He stepped from one foot to the other, anxious to stand upon his native soil.  
  
When the airlock door had set down upon the ground, Imam walked quickly from the ship and immediately knelt down to pray. Jack followed slowly, with Riddick in tow.  
  
Abruptly, she stopped walking. Everything that she wouldn't let herself feel during that whole time on that planet swirled together inside of her. Sadness, wonder, awe, fear. They all mixed together with the one emotion that took up most of her energy now. Rage. She hated herself. She hated that planet and everything that was on it. She hated him. He made her look like a fool. A child.   
  
She recognized what he had done for her and for Imam. What sacrafices he had made. What he had learned and kept, and what he had left behind on that horrible planet. But that gave him no right to treat her like a child. If she had had a moment to actually contemplate her feelings, she would have realized that Riddick wasn't actually the target for her rage. She was just angry that, since running away, this was the first time she hadn't been able to take care of herself.  
  
Riddick spoke from behind her. "Go help Imam get some supplies from the ship, Jack."  
  
Instead of obeying, Jack stood her ground. She was insistant that he realize how he had been treating her.  
  
"Did you hear me?" he growled, closer to her than he had been before.  
  
Oh yes, she had heard him. Him and his orders. 'Go do this Jack' or 'Go get this Jack'. Just like her father. Her father, a man who should have been killed at her birth. Destroyed before he could ruin her life and-  
  
Riddick placed his hand on Jack's shoulder, bringing her out of her thoughts.  
  
"Don't touch me," she growled in a voice not her own. She turned slowly on her heels, her face tilted upwards. Her eyes caught his and, for once, held the gaze. Jack couldn't see his eyes but she was sure that he was surprized just the same. She was finally standing up for herself. She was tired of taking orders. That was why she had run away in the first place. Well, that and to escape her father.  
  
Without waiting for a reaction, she began walking again, leaving him behind to think whatever he was going to think. He didn't hold her back. Everything he had ever told her didn't matter. He was nothing. Where did he get off intimidating her? Almost everything he had done for her meant nothing at that moment.  
  
Some part of her knew that all the stress she had undergone was building up inside of her, changing her. But it was too hard to fight it. She was angry that they had to die, and she had to take her anger out on somebody. Riddick was a prime target at the moment, and it felt good just to let out her aggression. Not that she blamed him. Jack knew though that, between Imam and Riddick, Riddick would know why she was suddenly so angry. And even if he didn't know, well so what? Imam would be bothered greatly by her outburst of feeling, whereas Riddick probably wouldn't. So let him deal with it.  
  
The feeling slowly faded as she drew nearer to Imam, who was still kneeling in the sand. Standing a little bit behind him to give him some privacy, Jack surveyed their surroundings. A few buildings dotted the horizon straight ahead but, from the looks of it, Jack thought it was probably some two-bit town. They had landed in some sort of desert. She suddenly longed for the city, a friendlier habitat. Well, SHE considered it to be friendlier.  
  
She casually looked down at Imam and watched him perform his ending rituals to his prayer session. As he was standing up, Jack glanced over her shoulder to the ship.


	4. Chapter 4 Riddick Planning

Riddick stood a few feet from the ramp, staring at the buildings in the distance. The town couldn't have been more than two miles away and they would surely make it, despite the heat and dry conditions. But that's not what Riddick was really concerned with. He hated to admit it but Jack's attitude confused him.   
  
On that planet she had acted like a scared little kitten left out in the rain. But before, when he had touched her shoulder, he had been hit with a wave of fury rolling off the little girl. He didn't care that it seemed as though she hated him. Many people hated him. It was just a thing you had to get used to if you were a murderer. Still, there was that little voice in the back of his head telling him that this wasn't right. Something about her attitude.   
  
'Did she snap?' He asked himself. It wasn't hard to imagine. A little girl, all white lace, stuck on a planet for almost two days, surrounded by murder and death. Not to mention the fact that she had been saved by a murderer. That had to be fucking with her head.   
  
He wasn't worried about her and her mental condition as much as he was worried about what she would do. Physically, Riddick wasn't worried. He was at least twice Jack's weight. But would she try to keep him there? Would she sabotage his plans? Sabotage the ship? If she tried, he figured he'd pick up on it. But even he couldn't be everywhere at once.   
  
Riddick abruptly began walking. He wasn't going to get anywhere debating with himself in the noonday heat of New Mecca. He had to prioritize, to plan. To heal.   
  
'Get yourself fixed and then worry about the trip,' he told himself. He would have to let himself heal before he could go anywhere. The mercs would catch up to him a lot faster if he were wounded and on the run.


	5. Chapter 5 Jack Off To Town We go

Jack watched Riddick as he began to walk towards the town.   
  
"Imam?" she questioned.   
  
Imam knew what she wanted. "Yes, child, let us follow Mr. Riddick."   
  
The two commenced walking, about fifteen paces behind Riddick. Jack could see that he was struggling with the pain of his wounds. His bald head was covered in sweat and he was limping, favoring his wounded leg.   
  
'Where those monsters got him,' her mind whispered.   
  
She told it to shut up and continued walking next to Imam.   
  
No matter how much she tried to think about other things, her mind was always drawn back to him. The man that had saved their lives. As much as she hated the way he made her feel, she admired his courage, his strength. And, in a way, she was jealous of him. He never knew his parents, therefore it made it easier for him to detach himself. It almost gave him an excuse. She, on the other hand, wasn't as lucky. If and when she told people that she had run away from home, they always asked her the same thing. "Why did you leave when all you had was right there at home?"  
  
She was always tempted to tell them what her father did. The sick freak he really was, the disgusting things he made her do. Instead, she'd look down at her feet, shrug her shoulders, and find something else to do besides talking.  
  
Jack was also jealous of his emotional status. He wasn't into sugar coating, as were so many other adults she had met since leaving her home almost a year ago. He told her the facts straight, no matter how much it scared her. And he never let his feelings show. She figured that crying was quite a foreign emotion to Richard B. Riddick.  
  
Her attraction to him was more than just a crush, more than lust. She wanted to be with him, but she also wanted to be him. His level of strength was something she was probably going to need in the years to come. 


	6. Chapter 6 Riddick Survival

'Finally,' Riddick thought as he stepped up to the doorway of a small motel. The wound in his leg burned from the sweat that was pouring down his whole frame. Riddick knew he was on the verge of falling down. From heat, exhaustion, and blood loss, among other things.  
  
Inside was a large desk behind which was a gangly young man. He couldn't have been older than twenty, dressed in dirty work pants and a t-shirt, complimented by his greasy blonde hair and untrimmed beard. He was sitting at an old fashioned computer and Riddick could hear the shooting sounds of the game that the young man was playing. He didn't seem to notice the sweaty, shaky man that stood in the doorway.  
  
On his wobbly legs Riddick took a step forward, trying to compose himself as best as he could. The sound of Riddick's boot on the wooden floor startled the young man at the computer, and he jumped up nervously.   
  
"Uh, yes, may I help you?" stuttered the young man.   
  
"A room," Riddick growled. At that moment Jack and Imam stepped into the doorway. "Also, a doctor and directions to the nearest market," Riddick finished, glaring at the kid.  
  
"Yeah, sure. Uh, that room for you three or just you sir?" he asked.   
  
Riddick glanced over at his shoulder at Imam and Jack. Imam was waiting patiently behind Riddick and Jack was busy looking through an ancient magazine. For some reason, New Mecca was having a hard time updating its style. Books and magazines made out of actual paper were a thing of the past in the rest of the system. Most other planets used internet book sites for anyone's reading pleasure.  
  
"Three," he said.  
  
"Alright sir," the kid said, pulling out a holoboard and handing it to Riddick, "sign here on this line. It's twenty creds a night."  
  
Riddick scribbled something illegible on the holoboard. "I'm sure it'll be alright if we pay before we leave." It wasn't a question.   
  
"Well, standard protocol-" but the younger man was cut off by the look on Riddick's face. "Yeah, yeah that'll be fine."  
  
Riddick tossed him the holoboard in exchange for a key card, raising his eyebrows in expectation. He still needed answers as to where the nearest doctor and market were.  
  
"Oh, uh, yes sir. The doctor lives seven streets down, big wooden building on the left. The market is in the town square. Just go down this road about four clicks, make a left and continue on down that road for a little while. Bang a right and keep going until you hit a large white house. It's in the middle of a fork. Take the left fork and keep going. You'll run right into the middle of town."  
  
Riddick just nodded and hoped that Imam was taking notes on this. He didn't know how well he would be able to remember everything. He turned and walked out of the lobby to the rooms, which were across the street, without saying another word to the young punk. Tottering on the brink of passing out from blood loss, he realized that he needed a doctor fast.   
  
"Imam," he shouted behind his shoulder, not slowing his pace. The holy man jogged up to Riddick.  
  
"Yes, Mr. Riddick," he said, rolling the R.  
  
"You know this planet. Find me a doctor. We're in room 14."  
  
"Mr. Riddick, I highly advise-" Imam started.  
  
"Now!" Riddick shouted. It took all of his breath to yell, but he did need a doctor. He surely couldn't find one, and Jack would undoubtedly get lost.   
  
"Farewell, Mr. Riddick," Imam said. "I will be back as soon as possible." Riddick only nodded and kept walking.   
  
Finally, making it to the door to their room, he slipped the card into the slot and the door opened. The room was broiling but Riddick didn't care. His first trip was to the bathroom, to clean out the cut in his leg and to see if he could stop the bleeding. He turned on the water.   
  
From in the bathroom, Riddick heard the door shut, and he heard Jack's light footsteps on the worn-down carpeting.   
  
"Jack," he said, and immediately the footsteps stopped. "Open all the windows," he commanded, without waiting for her reply.   
  
Slowly he moved his leg under the water, hissing quietly. Removing his mind from the pain, he realized that he would need new clothes. His pants were soaked with blood, and there was a tear in them. What was left of his shirt was dirty, bloodstained, and also in tatters.  
  
He grabbed a towel and shut off the water. Wrapping it around his leg, he tied it tightly. As soon as the towel was in place, blooming roses of fresh blood appeared.   
  
'Fuck,' Riddick swore in his head. This was going to take a while to heal completely. He didn't know how much time he had on New Mecca, but he was betting that it wasn't enough for him to make a full recovery before having to leave. 


	7. Chapter 7 Jack Healing Riddick

Jack did as she was told and opened the windows. The room had to be at least a hundred degrees anyway. This done, she sat on the bed and sighed. She was tired, hungry, and wanted to take a long, hot shower. But the shower and food could wait.   
  
Letting the muscles in her whole body relax, she flopped down on the bed. She must have slept a little because the next thing she knew Riddick was sitting on the other bed, and there was knocking at the door.   
  
"Ridd-" Jack began.   
  
"Shut up, kid. Don't call me that," Riddick said quietly, but with urgency. "In," Riddick called out to the door, adjusting the bandages on his leg. Jack noticed that he held a gauge.   
  
'Must be expecting somebody,' she thought. 'Of course, he's an escaped ex-con. He's expecting the whole Company to be right behind him every second.'  
  
The door opened, admitting Imam and another man into the room. The man was short and Jack thought, looking at his crooked back and joints, that it was as if he had been folded over himself and kept in that position for too long. He was almost completely bald, and his watery brown eyes swam like runny eggs behind thick glasses.  
  
"Here's how it's gonna go," Riddick spoke up from the bed. "I'm gonna do the talking. That means keep your mouth shut you two, especially you kid. As for you," Riddick motioned towards the doctor with the gauge, "no questions and you get to keep your life. Understand?"  
  
The doctor nodded, understanding perfectly well.   
  
"All right. Get to work." Riddick rested the gun on the bed, never letting go of it.  
  
The doctor went over to Riddick and knelt beside the bed, opening the bag that Jack hadn't seen in his hand before. He pulled out an odd looking gun-like apparatus with a screen attached to it, a few bandages, and some clear liquid. Untying the bandages on Riddick's leg, he shook his head.   
  
"I'm going to have to cauterize it," he said to Riddick, who just nodded. Taking that as a sign of affirmation, the doctor pulled out a med pen from his bag.   
  
"No," Riddick said, pointing the gauge at the doctor. "Put it away."  
  
"It's just-" the doctor began.  
  
"I don't need anesthetic," Riddick growled. "You'd be surprised at how much pain I can take. Put it away now." The doctor did as he was told.   
  
"It's there if you need it," he said as he turned the cauterizing gun on. Pushing some buttons on the screen, he touched the gun to one end of Riddick's wound.   
  
Jack watched all of this from near the door. Imam had sat down on the bed and was praying vehemently. She heard a hiss as the gun touched Riddick's flesh, and thought it was Riddick hissing. After a few moments however, she realized that it was just the flesh burning together. The smell eventually made its way to where Jack stood.   
  
'Jesus, why won't he do anything?' Jack wondered. 'He just sits there, like it doesn't hurt at all.'  
  
She stared at him for a few minutes longer. Finally, Jack saw, he clenched his jaw.  
  
'Ah, so he IS human.'   
  
Suddenly, the sounds and smells of the room were too much. She had to get out. She had to get away from him. Turning to Imam, she was going to tell him she was going for a walk, but decided against it. Jack was hesitant to bother him, and Riddick didn't seem to care where she went.   
  
Opening the door carefully, Jack slipped out into the midday sun. Despite the heat, a cool breeze was blowing. She was thankful to get that burning smell out of her nose.   
  
Jack walked quickly, reading all the signs, humming to herself. Suddenly, she paused in front of a sign. She knew it would look odd, a kid just standing there reading a sign. But that was the point. She was reading again. She was alive.   
  
Walking again, she smiled brightly. She was alive.   
  
'Who cares if a murderer saved me? He saved me, and that deserves something. The least I can give him is a second chance, and my gratitude.'  
  
She made a mental note to thank him for everything when she got back and was about to turn around, when a voice stopped her.  
  
"Excuse me."   
  
It was a man's voice, hard and punishing. It reminded her of Riddick's voice, only without the gravel in it. She turned quickly and came face-to-waist with the speaker. Looking up she saw that his face matched his voice. Cold, ice blue eyes stared at her from under an anger-knotted brow. His raven black hair was very short, in a buzz cut. He was wearing jeans with a hole in the left knee, a black t-shirt, and a leather jacket. Jack had never seen so many zippers and buckles in her life. Grabbing Jack's arm, the man pulled her into a nearby alleyway.   
  
He held her against the wall, the collar of her shirt curled in one of his very large fists.   
  
"I see you had some company when you landed on this planet," he growled down at her.  
  
"Wha-" Jack began. He pulled her upper body away from the wall for a second and then slammed her roughly against the brick. Jack heard rather than felt her head hit the wall. Small multi-colored smudges blossomed in front of her eyes and she blinked to clear her vision.  
  
"Don't insult my intelligence," he said to Jack. "I want you to take me to the one you were with. Richard B. Riddick."  
  
Oh no, no, no, no! Jack screamed inside her head.   
  
"Why do you want him?" she asked as innocently as she could. Suddenly, she was lifted off of her feet. Expecting another bash against the wall, she closed her eyes. When it didn't come, she opened them, to find herself staring into the man's eyes.   
  
"Listen little girl," he began. Jack wondered how he knew she was a girl. Then she realized his other hand was between her legs, pressing against the wall. She was sitting on his arm, and his first hand was still clutching her collar.   
  
"Where is he!" the man demanded. Tears sprung to Jack's eyes. She had to be brave. Opening her eyes fully and grimacing in disgust, Jack spit directly into the man's face.   
  
Abruptly moving the arm she had been sitting on, he dropped her to the ground, still holding her collar.   
  
"Alright you little shit, you can SHOW me where he is," he said, wiping the spit off of his face.  
  
He dragged Jack along beside him until she had found her feet, and began walking at his speed. Passing by a store, she eyed the entrance.   
  
"I wouldn't try it sweetie," the man said, and Jack heard a click of a hand gauge from inside of the leather jacket pocket. 


	8. Chapter 8 Riddick R & R

Riddick sat very still on the bed. Pain speared its way up and down his leg, and he squeezed his eyes shut. It wasn't the worst Riddick had experienced, but it wasn't a walk in the park either.  
  
He heard Imam sit down on the bed and opened one eye to see the holy man praying.  
  
'Typical,' he thought. 'Fuck, this is getting to me.'  
  
He clenched his jaw in pain, keeping his hand on the gauge and his eyes shut. The sound of someone opening the door brought him out of his pain-filled haze. Once again, he opened an eye, never changing his facial expression.  
  
Riddick watched Jack opened the door slowly; just enough for her to slide through, and then shut it softly behind her. He halfway wondered where she was going. Probably anywhere to get away from the awful smell.  
  
'Kind of like old fashioned pork,' Riddick mused.  
  
It didn't matter though. She would come back eventually. And if she didn't, what did he care?  
  
'That's just it though. I do care. And that's the problem. A problem that I've got to get rid of.'  
  
Riddick realized that the doctor had finished while he had been thinking. He waited for the doctor to pack up his shit and leave. Pulling out a bottle containing a blue jelly-like substance, he handed it to Riddick.  
  
"This will ward off infection, and minimize healing time. Change your bandages three times a day and put this on every time you change them. Don't walk on it or else you're going to rip the skin."  
  
With that, he stood with his black bag and left the room. As he shut the door, Riddick sighed.  
  
"Imam," he said to the holy man who was still praying.  
  
"Yes, Mr. Riddick. May I get something for you?"  
  
Riddick pulled out some emergency credits from his pocket. "I need new clothes. Shirt and pants. Exactly what I'm wearing, or something very, very similar. Get me a jacket too." He tossed the creds to Imam.  
  
Imam knew better than to argue this time. Catching the credits, he nodded solemnly, and left the room.  
  
'Finally. Maybe I can get some fucking sleep.'  
  
Peeling off his shirt, Riddick rolled over and pulled off his goggles. Exhaling, he pressed his face into the pillow and brought the blanket up around him, falling asleep almost immediately. 


	9. Chapter 9 Jack Hostage

They were nearing the motel. Jack knew she had to do something. If she ran, he would shoot her and probably find Riddick. If she tried to warn Riddick, he would shoot her and definitely find Riddick. Ideas were bouncing around her head, but one of them stuck out like a diamond in a pile of coal dust.  
  
She saw the door to their room open.  
  
'Please tell me it's Riddick!' her mind screamed.  
  
It was Imam. He was coming their way. Maybe he would see them.  
  
Unfortunately, the man also saw Imam walk out of the room. Quickly, he ducked behind a building and pulled Jack behind a disposal container. She sat on the ground, breathing hard, with his fist pressed into her neck. He peeked over the disposal container a few times and finally judged that it was safe. Standing back up, he pulled Jack up with him, and dragged her roughly from behind the building.  
  
They were walking past rooms now.  
  
'I've gotta do something. I've gotta warn him.'  
  
Her mind vaguely registered that she owed him her life, and would - not to mention should - sacrifice her life for his. It wasn't a pleasant thought, especially to a fifteen year old, but this was reality. If there was one thing Jack had learned from Riddick, it was to face reality and not dance around it.

The man still had her by her collar, but he wasn't pulling as hard now. Turning quickly, Jack grabbed his hand in one of hers and pulled as hard as she could, twisting at the same time. He let out a loud yell, and she felt three of his fingers break inside of her palm. Pushing Jack away, he wrenched his hand free of her grasp and tried to remove his gun from his jacket pocket.  
  
Jack stood for a moment before realizing that, without his other hand, it would take him a while to remove his gun from the small pocket. Just enough time...  
  
"Riddick, run!" Jack screamed, before landing a kick to the man's kneecap. Her kick wasn't hard enough to do major damage, but it hurt him enough to distract him from taking out his gun for a little while. He fell to the ground in pain. Jack looked toward the door. Riddick wasn't there, nor was he at the windows.  
  
'What if he didn't hear me? What if he passed out? Or if he's asleep? Shit what do I do?'Breathing in as deeply as her lungs would allow, Jack screamed high and long, hoping it would at least wake him up.  
  
"Riddick," she yelled again, "run! Go, run, get away."  
  
Her voice was getting raw. She was about to run, when a click drew her attention back to the wounded man. He held the gauge out, pointed at Jack, while he cradled his injured hand to his chest.  
  
"Bad move honey," he said, a grin surfacing on his face. 


	10. Chapter 10 Riddick Fatality

Riddick was in a deep sleep, uncommon to him. He had always slept on the edge of consciousness. Deep enough into sleep to rest his body, but still aware of his surroundings. He felt safe when just on the edge of consciousness. Deep sleep troubled him. Most of all, it brought nightmares. Dark images flooded his brain. Of Fry. What she had said and done for him. The look in her eyes before she was ripped from his grasp. The beeps and clicks of the monsters. The screaming, high pitched and long.   
  
Wait. That wasn't in his dream. Riddick's eyes opened just enough for him to check the room for intruders. It was all clear, and he sat up quickly. Pulling on his shirt and goggles, he stood, and listened. Another scream found its way to his ears, and he pinpointed the source. It was Jack, out in front of the room. Telling him to run. Hobbling over, he peered out of the window. A large man was trying to stand, and Jack was looking in the direction of the door of the room.   
  
Riddick saw the man stand to full height, the gauge held out towards Jack. She looked like she was going to run the opposite way.   
  
'Smart. Get him away from me. But where do you go?'

Even has those thoughts passed through his mind, he felt a twinge of guilt. 'Smart? Jesus Christ, she was risking her life to protect him!' He'd only need one hand to count how many other people had ever done that for him.  
  
Riddick stepped quickly to the door, and flung it open, just as the man pulled the trigger. Before he even had time to think about it, Riddick pulled out his shiv and threw it at the man. It landed in the left side of his neck, even before he turned to see who had come out of the room.   
  
Sputtering and bleeding, the man fell to the ground. Riddick stalked over to where Jack was. He stepped over Jack's prone form, and then crouched before her. Her eyes were open.   
  
'She's not in shock...yet, anyway. But she's losing a lot of blood.'  
  
Her hands cradled her stomach protectively. The man had been aiming for her chest, Riddick was sure of it, but he had probably been distracted when Riddick opened the door. Peeling her hands away, he inspected the wound. He couldn't see much - other than blood and a small piece of intestine - because she was on her side. Holding her gently, he rolled her over. Jack groaned and shut her eyes.   
  
'C'mon Jack,' he pleaded without realizing he was doing so, 'don't close your eyes.'   
  
He hit her face, a little harder than he meant to, and she opened her eyes. With a start, Riddick realized that she wasn't even crying. Jack's lips moved, but there were no words behind them. Suddenly her eyes widened and she coughed, bringing up a mouthful of blood that seemed so bright as it ran down her ashen cheek.  
  
Riddick knew she needed help. Help that he definetely couldn't give her. He picked her up as gently as he could, knowing that she was in agony, and positioned her so he was only carrying her with one arm. With the other hand Riddick grabbed the dead man and dragged him back to the room, dropping him in the doorway. He gently lay Jack down on one of the beds, and went back to pull the man all the way into the room.   
  
Walking out quickly, he scuffed dirt over the two puddles of blood where Jack and the dead man had been laying, turning the dust into mud. Covering that with more loose dust, Riddick surveyed his work. No one would notice that unless they were looking for it. Hopefully.  
  
He returned to the room and shut the door. Between the beds sat a holophone, and that was Riddick's next destination. He covered the camera so the operator wouldn't be able to see him, and dialed the nearest emergency service.   
  
"Yes, may I help you?" a bored sounding woman said over the speaker.   
  
"I'm in room 14 of the Lunar Motel. There is a wounded girl here. We need someone right away. She's lost a lot of blood."  
  
"Yes, sir. Lunar Motel. Room 14?" She sounded more alert now.   
  
"Yes," Riddick replied. Lowering his voice, he said, "Lady, you don't want this kid to die. If she does, I'll track your ass down personally, and kill you very, very slowly."   
  
Without waiting for a reply, he hung up the phone and pulled the chord out of the wall. He returned to the dead man. Reaching in all of the pockets, he looked for identification. Riddick found none, but did come up with two hand gauges, and enough credits to get him room and board for at least two months, if he spent it wisely.   
  
Probably a fucking merc. 'Isn't there an off-season on my ass?'  
  
Riddick was just about to move the man into the bathroom, lest Imam walk in and see him, when there was a noise behind him. Turning quickly, he saw Jack. She was trying to get up.

He stood so quickly that both of his knees popped loudly.

'Does this kid ever quit?'


	11. Chapter 11 Jack I Think I Can

Jack flew back from the force of the blow, and landed on her side. Liquid fire spread from her belly down to her knees and up to her chest. She looked down at her hands and saw red.   
  
'Oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God that's my blood! Oh God...'  
  
Vaguely, she heard someone fall down, and then heavy footsteps. Riddick was there, checking her over. He moved her, rolling her onto her back. She moaned. The pain. It hurt so much to move. She squeezed her eyes shut, but Riddick hit her face and she opened them again. She wanted to tell him how much it hurt, where it hurt, to stop moving her.   
  
Opening her lips, she realized her mistake too late. A cough issued forth and there was sticky wetness on the side of her face.   
  
'I can't cry! Come on Jack, be strong! You can't cry in front of him. Not in front of him. Hold it together.'  
  
He picked her up and she grit her teeth. The pain was everywhere, like poison in her bloodstream. He held her with one arm, and she felt him stumble a little. She turned her head in towards his chest, pressing her face against his shirt to hold in cries of pain.   
  
Now it was dark. They were inside and she was on the bed. She had to tell him about the man. There might be more like him. But, oh, he walked away from the side of the bed. Outside. To the holophone. To the other man, who looked dead.   
  
'He's got Riddick's knife sticking out of his neck. He IS dead Jack.'   
  
She had to tell him. He had to know. They were after him. Bracing herself for the pain, Jack pulled one of her elbows underneath her. She pushed herself two...four...seven inches off the bed, until she was sitting up. Then he was there, his hands on her shoulders. But he was pushing her back down.   
  
"No!" she yelled, but it came out only a whisper. Immediately he stopped pushing her down, but kept his hands on her shoulders, now holding her up.  
  
"What is it Jack?" he asked.   
  
"'Nother Johns. Tried warn...gauge...you have...to go." Jack knew this was the time. He might not understand it, but she would. She could die with a clear conscious. "Ridd...," she coughed, spitting blood. Clenching her teeth she moved her hand up to his face. Pulling his goggles away from his face she stared into his eyes.   
  
"Riddick," she croaked, "thank you." Then there was darkness. 


	12. Chapter 12 Riddick Farewell

"You're welcome k-," Riddick started. "Jack. You're welcome."   
  
He lay her back down gently, knowing that she was unconscious and probably couldn't hear him. He took his goggles from her tiny hand and wiped some blood off of her face gently.   
  
Clenching his teeth, he stood up and pushed his mind in a different direction. 'Another Johns? A merc? How did she know that he was a merc?'   
  
It didn't matter. Riddick knew he had to leave. His leg burned where the wound was, and Riddick was sure that it was bleeding at the edges. He stood, and got more towels from the bathroom. Tying three together, he made a makeshift belt for Jack. Folding two more towels, he put them over her wound, and tied them down with the belt. Riddick pulled the knot so tightly Jack coughed up more blood. But it was the only way he could think of to slow the bleeding.   
  
You could stay here and make sure there isn't anymore bleeding, a voice inside his head said. But he ignored it. She had even told him to go. He had to leave, or else he'd be caught. And there was no way he was going back to that asshole of a cell in Slam.   
  
Picking up the hand gauges and creds, Riddick opened the door. He looked back only once. Blood covered everything. The bathroom, the bed Jack was on, the floor where the dead man lay. He watched her for a moment, her breathing shallow. Then, turning quickly, he shut the door softly on his past, for what he thought would be forever. 


	13. Chapter 13 The Company Solutions

Counselor Evans entered the meeting quietly. He had a message for President Stevens. President of the Company, Richard Stevens, that was. Evans wasn't the only one who hated everything about Richard Stevens. The man was a prime example of what a leader shouldn't be. But that didn't matter now. Now, Evans had a job to do. And that was to give President Stevens a message and then get the fuck out of the room before the defecation hit the rotating oscilator.  
  
"Yes? What is it Evans?" Stevens barked. His bright blue eyes bore into Evans, causing him to become increasingly nervous.  
  
"Um, you have a call on line five Mr. Stevens. It's Prime Minister Ashal from planet 566 in the Nazarek system."  
  
"Dismissed Evans," Stevens said, punching a button on the holophone pad. A picture blinked onto the screen, and Stevens knew that he was connected to the caller, even though the picture was completely black.   
  
This was the standard for Ashal. Stevens had been talking to the man for over ten years now, and had yet to see his face. Rumor had it that Ashal had been badly burned as a child and refused to be seen in public without the aid of makeup or a mask. That included holophone screens.  
  
"Prime Minister Ashal, what a pleasant-" Stevens started.  
  
"Cut the bullshit," Ashal grated into the speaker, loud enough for Stevens and everyone in the boardroom to hear clearly. A few in the back smiled, but made no sound. President Stevens wasn't a man to laugh at. Not in his presence at least.  
  
Though Ashal was the biggest supporter of the Company, Stevens hated talking to the man. He was the most arrogant, egotistical bastard that Stevens knew of. Unfortunately, along with being the biggest supporter of the Company, Ashal was also the richest. And Stevens wasn't about to turn down the kind of money that was sent to him yearly. Of course Ashal knew this. Therefore, his hostile attitude and constant barking tone directed at Stevens.  
  
"Do you know," the Prime Minister continued, "that a full force rebellion has broken out on 565 in the Nazarek system, Stevens?"  
  
"No, sir. No, I did not," Stevens replied. He was in deep shit now. How this situation had digressed this far was beyond him.The last thing he had heard about 565 was that they had closed all their ports to any ships other than their own.  
  
Years ago, 565 had been a prison planet. Maximum security to be exact. It was one of the Company's babies, but thankfully it hadn't been Steven's idea. He wasn't even in office when 565 was converted into a prison. Regardless, he was the one who had to clean up the shit now. All but one third of the Company's informants were working on this case, as were over half of it's troops. Even so, the only information Stevens had was that ex-cons had taken over the planet, released their friends, and had formed an army of their own. Well, that and the Company had finally cracked the port access code that they had been working on.

Besides all that, 565 had been relatively quiet for years. No attacks on nearby settlement planets, or on ships for that matter. Basically, these ex-cons just wanted a place to call their own. Too bad they had to go about getting it in such an illegal way. Too bad for them.  
  
The military knew about 565 too. Of course, the Company owned the military, but things like that weren't exactly printed on a flag and waved in the public's face. That was the point of this whole meeting. Stevens had called the Nazarek Military Corps leaders to see if they had any information on 565. He had been becoming increasingly nervous due to the large amount of calls from merc vessels saying that more and more ships were heading towards 565. And more ships meant more supplies. More manpower, more guns, more everything. And that spelled shit for the Company. He had been in the middle of asking if the NMC had any new information. Unfortunately, this little call had interrupted them...  
  
"Well Jesus Stevens, I'm glad you're right on top of things!" Ashal roared.   
  
"Sir, please-," This was getting ugly now.   
  
"Listen here Stevens," came the reply over the holophone. "You have the power to do this, I know you do. Get the Nazarek Military on this, or it'll be your ass. I will- shit what is it NOW?"  
  
Sevens heard Ashal mumbling over the holophone, and then an answering voice. Ashal and the other person spoke for a few moments.  
  
"Stevens?" Ashal was back.  
  
"Yes," Stevens answered.  
  
"I've just been informed that you won't need the assistance of the NMC." He sounded excited to say the least.  
  
"Excuse me sir?" Stevens' interest peaked.  
  
"There is a man by the name of Dio Ruiz. He is reported to be the leader of this rebellion slash war on 565. Supplying weaponry, keeping moral up, et cetera. I believe that if you get the NMC to find an assassin, this whole war can be over within a week.   
  
And don't be stupid on this either Stevens. This man Dio is heavily guarded, and very well trained. Military, defense, and offense techniques; these are just some of the things this man knows. He is also trained to use most forms of weaponry and is a mechanical genius. You'll need your best. No matter the cost, Dio Ruiz has to die. What is that old saying? When the leader dies, so dies the rebellion?"  
  
"Yes, sir, I do believe that is it." Stevens said. This was going to be easier than he had previously thought.  
  
"Well then Stevens, get this ball rolling and I'll stay off your back. I expect Ruiz to be dead within six days. I will be sending you more information on Ruiz soon. Don't disappoint me."  
  
With a beep, the holophone clicked off. Stevens turned his off as well, and looked up to the NMC leaders seated around the large table.  
  
"Gentlemen?" he said, placing his hands on the marble table, palms down. "Do you remember a project entitled CDF-10?"  
  
There were a few nods from the older members at the table.   
  
"For those of you who haven't," Stevens continued, "CDF-10 stands for Cryo Deep- Freeze Ten. Seven years ago, thirty of the deadliest cons were captured and cryo-frozen. Scientists were testing the limits of the human body to freezing. The two and five year tests had come out successful, so the next obvious length of time would be ten years. Now, you all heard what Prime Minister Ashal had to say. We need a good man. An assassin. A killer."  
  
"But sir," one of the younger military men said, "This could easily be accomplished by one of the NMC's best."  
  
"No, it could not," Stevens said, more than a little annoyed. "In case you haven't noticed, cons can smell authority miles away. He wouldn't make it within three hundred feet of this Dio character, especially with him having such good training. Besides, if we send an ex-con, there's a good chance that someone on 565 will know him and automatically accept him into their little gang. So, if we send one of us, he'd most likely get killed and leave us with our thumbs up our asses. If we send an ex-con, he'll either kill Ruiz, ending the rebellion, or get killed himself, leaving us with one less piece of shit in this fucked up universe."  
  
"How will we get the con to do this, sir, if you don't mind me asking." It was one of the older men.  
  
"Why, we'll lie, of course," Stevens replied smiling coldly.


	14. Chapter 14 Jack Home

"Jack," She said into the voice activated lock. Jack had just had it installed a few weeks ago. It was much better than the conventional voice locks, which just needed a code word. These ones responded to an individual's voice, not just the word that was said. And it was impervious to anything tape-recorded. The door opened silently and then closed behind her when she stepped into the comforting darkness of her apartment.  
  
She lay down on the couch and sighed again. It had been a long day. There was so much work to be done, all centering on the rebellion. It was Dio's baby. So much of her surroundings reminded her of her missing past though. It was hard to get through a day without thinking about it, and this day was no exception.   
  
The women at the hospital had told Jack that Riddick had left her there to die. Jack couldn't remember anything about the man, not even his face. The doctors said something about temporary amnesia, but it had been over six years. Jack had no other choice but to believe the nurses and doctors about what Riddick had done. But something about what they told Jack didn't sit right with her. Something Jack couldn't 't remember.   
  
Jack stayed in the hospital for three months. The blast had hit her pancreas, her uterus and one of her ovaries. The doctors took out her entire reproductive system except for one ovary. She needed that for the hormones, they said. It didn't bother Jack. She had realized, even at the young age of fifteen, that her life would be much easier without those problems anyway.   
  
As for her pancreas, that was one of the easier problems to fix. New tissue development experiments had just been approved around the time Jack was shot. She gave some blood, gave some tissue, and got a pancreas. Pretty good deal in Jack's opinion.  
  
After getting out of the hospital, she left New Mecca, and Imam, to look for work and for a place to stay. She knew her parents were looking for her, but even before she had boarded the Hunter-Gratzner she knew she was out of their reach. They never thought she would leave the system, when it all reality, she had been out of her home system for three months before taking the trip that would change her life forever.  
  
She lived on the streets for six months after leaving New Mecca, sleeping at abandoned construction sites, in dumpsters, in cardboard boxes. Anywhere relatively safe and dry. Work had been the hardest part. She tried saving money, but always had to spend it so she could eat. Eventually she fell in with the wrong crowd. It was inevitable, especially living where she had been living.  
  
So she started with the petty stuff. Robbing houses led to mugging old ladies. That led to car jacking and grand theft auto. She was sent to the same minimum-security jail seven times when she was sixteen. In-between her fourth and fifth trips, she had her eyes shined. It hadn't been necessary, but she'd wanted it done. Something about how they made her look. It gave her an edge.  
  
She also learned that Riddick had been captured. He was in a maximum-security prison in another system. Jack desperately wanted to see him, though she didn't know whether it was to get revenge or just to find out what the hell happened the day she almost died. But she knew it would have been impossible to approach the man. Since leaving the hospital, she had gathered information on him. If that was what you could call it. Hardly anyone had ever talked to him, and he didn't talk to anyone else. He wasn't a regular anywhere, and he usually didn't stick around long enough for people to get curious about his behavior. In a nutshell, Riddick was a nomadic loner without the capacity for compassion.  
  
After he was captured, the Company came out with a new experimental procedure. Cryo freezing had been common for years, but they wanted to test extended cryo freezing. Jack remembered thinking that it was like saving left over food until you wanted it again. Evidently, Riddick had volunteered for the project. He was scheduled to be frozen for ten years. If he came out alive, he would be free. If he didn't, then the Company would never have to worry about him again.   
  
On Jack's last stint to jail she was there long enough to make substantial connections. People who had worked around Riddick in the past. Never with or for him. Just around him. When those sources was exhausted, she just waited for her time to be up and was released. Soon enough though she would have all the information on Richard B. Riddick that she needed.   
  
A month after her initial release, Jack was attacked by a group of seventeen men. They believed that she was trespassing in their territory, and evidently thought she should pay the price. Unfortunately for them, Jack hadn't been in a giving mood. She killed all seventeen men, ten with a blade and seven with her bare hands. Then she got caught and was dragged to the maximum-security prison on planet 565 of the Nazarek system at the age of seventeen. A maximum-security prison known as Slam.  
  
There, she made even more connections, met new people, learned things. The long-timers there gave her some tips, showed her the ropes. They were her teachers and she was their student. Every time she learned something new she couldn't wait to try it out on her enemies. She soaked up information like a sponge that couldn't get enough water.  
  
At first, her reputation had been like all new fish. Shit, basically. She was considered weak, below everyone else, and was pushed around by the older inmates. Well, pushed around wasn't the correct terminology. She wasn't pushed around. She got the shit beat out of her daily. After the first week, she was shocked that she hadn't cried yet. Already she had suffered broken ribs, fingers, a broken cheekbone, a broken leg and arm, and uncountable bruises everywhere. Still she pushed on.  
  
The beatings continued until one day on "The Grounds". "The Grounds" was just the name for a large cement room. All the inmates were put together for exactly one hour, to trade, to kill, whatever. Guards didn't enter the room, they only put the prisoners in and took them back out.   
  
Jack had been doing what she usually did when the prisoners were in "The Grounds"; sitting in the corner, observing. One inmate thought she had been staring at him. He had approached her and, when she didn't respond to him, he picked her up by her collar and slammed her into the wall. It brought something out in Jack, some great anger. It consumed her vision and she blacked out, a roaring sound filling her ears. The next thing she knew, she had killed the man with his own shiv, and had sliced the throats of six of his good buddies.  
  
There was blood everywhere. On Jack's hands, face, clothes. She loved the feeling, the blood running down her hands and eventually drying there. She got twenty days solitary. It was hell by herself, but when she got out, it was as if she was a new person. She was treated with respect, and wasn't bothered. Later Jack found out that the men she had killed had been one of the toughest gangs in Slam.   
  
In that prison, from one of her cellmates, she got her first tattoo. It started in the middle of her upper back, on her spine, and tapered out in both directions towards her shoulders. It was just some design, nothing special, but Jack had thought it was the best thing since sliced bread.  
  
She remembered being told that she might have to be held down when her cellmate began tattooing above her spinal chord. If he were to go too deep with the gun, he might hit it and cause her to spasm uncontrollably, possibly doing even more damage to her spinal chord. Guns in Slam were nothing like guns outside the prison. The two other men in the cell were there to hold her down, one to get her arms and the other to get her legs. Jack smiled and remembered how the two of them and her had played gin rummy throughout the whole thing. The guys shit bricks when she started telling jokes and laughing out loud. They couldn't believe that she could be getting her first tattoo, and a big one at that, and she could withstand the pain.   
  
Eventually though, she bid the prison farewell and was released into the public. She was eighteen and could legally find a job for herself. She found one, working the graveyard shift at a bar. They were wary about hiring her, not sure she could hold herself in a fight. That was before she kicked another employee's ass when he had passed a rude comment about her now fully developed - but not oversized - chest. That got her hired right quick.  
  
The bar paid well. She saved up enough to afford an apartment and some other extras, one of which was another tattoo. The tattoo that caused her to find Dio. She had walked into the parlor while he was getting his newest tattoo, three six's on the front of his neck. He had waited for her and the two of them laughed and joked while she had 'pitch black' tattooed on her wrist. Dio had asked her what the tattoo meant to her. She remembered telling him that was the color of her heart, and he had bet that he could change that.  
  
Dio wasn't bad looking. In fact, Jack considered him to be quite hot. He was tanned with black hair, and his voice carried the slightest twinge of a Spanish accent. They had walked out of the parlor together, and continued down the street. Jack liked Dio, not only because he was hot, but also because he reminded her of someone else...she couldn't remember who though. He had a shine job, as did most criminals. Those goggles had also reminded her of someone else. She felt safe with him. He hit on her as they walked, and eventually led her down an alleyway. She followed, knowing she could get herself out of any bad situations if need be.   
  
She felt flattered that he was making moves on her, until he tried grabbing her breast. She brought him down, but he was right back up again. Between threats he found out that she was only eighteen. That was when the fighting stopped. He apologized, and then offered to walk her home. It confused the hell out of Jack, but she agreed. That was the one and only time she physically fought with Dio.   
  
After that, he would show up at her door periodically. She cooked dinner for them both. Eventually he asked her to be his girl and she readily accepted. Of course, he explained, this would mean that she would be a part of Dio's gang. She had no family and was anxious to feel like she was a part of something. Jack eventually made her way up the ladder and now was respected almost as much as Dio himself. The fact that the relationship between Jack and Dio had grown into more than just boyfriend/girlfriend in the last year also helped boost her respectability.  
  
Suddenly, a noise startled Jack out of her thoughts. Someone was in the apartment. Sitting up, she looked around wildly. Her eyes were shined, but they did nothing for her now. Whoever the person in her apartment was, they were hiding. She was about to stand when a voice stopped her. 


	15. Chapter 15 Riddick Awakening

Riddick was strapped to a cold metal table. A door beside him whooshed open and a doctor stepped through. Stevens and Counselor Evans stood in an adjacent room, looking through a pane of glass at patient and doctor. Even in Riddick's chained state, they knew what he was capable of, and they weren't taking any chances.  
  
The doctor walked smoothly over to where Riddick lay. He carried a small electronic box attached to a wire with a sensor on the end of it. Sticking the sensor on Riddick's chest, he pushed some buttons on the meter.   
  
"Vital stats are normal," he reported. Stevens and Counselor Evans heard him loud and clear through the speaker system set up between the two rooms.   
  
"VMA-64," the doctor said, speaking to the computer "Run a deeper stats check. I want extra emphasis put on the patient's temperature. Alert me if it dips too low."   
  
There was a beep and then an automated voice said, "Temperature of patient established to be 85.946 degrees Fahrenheit."  
  
"But," the doctor continued, his brow crinkling, "his temperature should be about five or six degrees warmer." With that, he ripped the sensor off of Riddick's chest and was about to walk away when he was stopped by his "patient's" voice.  
  
"You could try giving me clothes."  
  
"What?" the doctor said, turning around to look at the window. Stevens stood pointing to Riddick until the doctor turned to look at his patient on the table.  
  
"I said get me some clothes. And turn off the lights."   
  
The doctor stood there for a moment, watching Riddick's lips move, and then he stepped toward the door.  
  
"VMA-64. I want continued monitoring on the patient, name Richard B. Riddick. Patient number CDF-10-26. Notify Company security if patient ensues rash behavior. Notify lab technicians if patient's vital stats become irregular or abnormal. Do not harm the patient. Do not take verbal consent from patient under any circumstances."  
  
"VMA-64 to comply," the computer said.  
  
"It's a success," the doctor breathed as the door opened and he stepped out.   
  
'Of course they wouldn't listen to me,' Riddick thought. 'They could at least turn the lights down. My head's killing me.'  
  
Suddenly, a hissing sound filled Riddick's ears. He felt a cool breeze flow over his body, and smelled filtered air.   
  
'What the hell...' Riddick thought before passing out. 


	16. Chapter 16 Jack Baby Girl

"Lights on," said the voice. "Hey there sweet thing."  
  
Jack squinted at first, hoping to at least get a glimpse of her 'attacker', but soon shut her eyes due to the amount of pain the overheads caused her. She didn't even know why she kept these lights. They were of no use to her. She stood up quickly, ready to attack her invader despite the fact that her discarded goggles were somewhere in her bag. She had taken them off immediately after entering her apartment.  
  
Jack pulled out a blade and reached out her senses. She heard another person breathing and making their way slowly toward her. Raising her hand quickly, she was about to bring the knife down when two hands clamped around her wrists. His mouth closed over hers. She resisted at first, until she realized who her 'invader' was.   
  
He released her mouth but kept her hands in his.   
  
"Dio," Jack gasped, breathless from their long kiss, "you really want me to hurt you one of these days, don't you?"  
  
He chuckled, rubbing his thumbs along her wrists. "You forget baby girl," he said, "you can't hurt me. Lights off."  
  
Jack was still thinking of a good reply to that when he released her wrists and picked her up, kissing her again. Jack dropped the blade and peeled Dio's goggles from his face. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her long legs around his waist. After a moment, she realized that they were moving into the bedroom.   
  
All thoughts were pushed from her mind as Dio placed her on the bed. He leaned on her for a moment and then pulled back and stood. He was undressing quickly, and she did the same, scooting herself up to the head of the bed.   
  
They found each other in the darkness. She felt him, his throbbing erection between her legs. She brought his face to hers and kissed him deeply. Moving one hand slowly down, she grabbed him, making him gasp and pull away from her.  
  
Taking both of her hands in one of his, he raised them roughly above her head.  
  
"Keep them there," he growled into her ear. His lips brushed her neck, making her shudder. She felt him spread her legs apart slowly with one of his hands.  
  
His fingers trailed down the smooth skin of her stomach as his tongue brushed one of her erect nipples. She groaned at the sensation, and in reply, he bit down on it, hard enough to make her moan with painful pleasure.  
  
Jack felt him position himself correctly, and gasped harshly as he entered her slowly. He had been gone for three weeks and she had forgotten how big he was. Tears sprung to her eyes as he slowly slid himself deeper into her. It hurt, but even if Jack told him to stop, she doubted he would.   
  
Jack suddenly remembered their first night together. She had lost her virginity to him and had cried through the whole thing. He went as slow as he could with her, but he was just too big. Besides, Dio wasn't one to stop when it came to lust. She remembered that at one point that night, she had been screaming bloody murder for him to stop. But he didn't even hear her. That was the way it was with Dio. His lust, when at full force, completely shrouded all his other judgments.   
  
Finally he was all the way in. She couldn't keep her arms above her head any longer. Bringing them down, she wrapped them around his upper torso while her legs locked around his waist. He lowered himself towards her and began the slow and steady rythm.   
  
She felt the tears roll down her cheeks in pain and ecstasy. With every groan she let go, he pushed harder and deeper until Jack wasn't sure she could hold it in any longer.   
  
Jack screamed his name as an orgasm ripped through her. She thrust upward one last time as he came into her. Letting himself relax, his weight pushed her into the bed as she shuddered underneath him.   
  
"You're crying," he said, looking at her face. His eyes shined in the darkness, and Jack knew that hers were shining too. She nodded as he brushed a tear from her cheek.   
  
"Did I hurt you?" he asked.  
  
"Yes," she answered softly.  
  
"Good," he grinned. Jack realized, as she felt him harden inside of her that he hadn't even pulled out yet.   
  
It was like this whenever he got back from a mission. They pledged to stay true to each other, at least in sex if in nothing else. And the missions he went on were usually very, very long, leaving him for a long time without a woman. That meant that when he got back, their nights together were quite long.   
  
"I love this, baby girl," Dio said.   
  
"So you love my sex drive?" she countered, moving closer to him, smiling.   
  
He felt her smile against his chest, causing him to grin. Snuggled together, they began another dance under the moon. 


	17. Chapter 17 Riddick Forgive And Forget

Riddick found himself in what seemed to be a cage, when he awoke. He couldn't be sure because they hadn't given him his goggles back, and the lights were on full.   
  
'God damned people.'  
  
He sniffed casually, detecting no other human presence in the room. Moving his feet and hands experimentally, he found himself chained to the floor, and the bench he was sitting on.  
  
'They're not stupid. Gotta give them that. They know I'd ghost 'em, first chance I got.'   
  
The whoosh of an opening door to Riddick's right caused him to direct his attention away from his restraints. He smelled a man, leather, boot oil, the metallic scent of a weapon. Papers rustled as the footsteps stopped directly in front of the cage. Far enough away so that if Riddick were to get out of his restraints, he couldn't reach the man through the bars. He waited, knowing the other man was most likely going to make the first move. He didn't have to wait long.  
  
"Richard B. Riddick," the man said. "Last known as prisoner 234, signed and agreed to be a part of the CDF-10 project seven years ago. Early release granted to stem a full force rebellion on planet 565 in the Nazarek system. Training and up-to-date information required." The man paused before going on. "In other words, Mr. Riddick, we dragged your ass out of that ice pit because we need your help. A man, by the name of Dio Ruiz, is leading a war on 565 and we need someone to kill him. You kill him and no one else, and you regain your freedom. Do you understand?"  
  
Riddick looked in the direction the man's voice was coming from. "Absolutely," he whispered, smiling coldly. He could smell the man's fear from where he was, and he bathed in it.  
  
"Wonderful," the man said, not sounding as enthusiastic as his choice of words. "You'll be unchained, properly dressed, and prepped for the mission. Training should take only two days. Then you're on your way."  
  
"You're just going to let me go if I ghost this guy?" Riddick asked, knowing full well that the whole thing was a lie. They would freeze him again after he X-ed out Dio.   
  
"Yes, that is the agreement. But, you can't kill anyone but Dio. If you do, you will serve the appropriate sentence in Slam, now located on planet Tacosta-45."  
  
Riddick growled, showing his distaste for the man's words. Slam. The last place he even wanted to think about. Riddick heard the man's retreating footsteps and a whoosh as the door closed after him.   
  
Riddick sighed. Concentrating with as much mind-power as he could, he thought of releasing the tension from his cramped muscles. Someone better get in here soon to take him out of these fucking cuffs. They were killing him. 


	18. Chapter 18 Jack The Morning After

Jack moaned and rolled over on her side. She didn't want to get up. Not this morning. She just wanted to stay in bed and sleep for another seven hours. Lifting her head off the pillow just enough, she checked to see if Dio was still in bed.  
  
No luck, she saw. Just then, the sounds of Dio in the kitchen made their way down the hall to Jack's ears. She smiled to herself.   
  
'Damn right,' she said to herself. 'He better make me breakfast. I won't be able to walk straight for another two days. It's the least he could do.'   
  
Jack sat up and sniffed. Strong coffee, undercooked eggs, and burnt toast. Dio's specialty.   
  
"Dio?" she called out groggily.  
  
"Hey baby girl," his deep voice rolled down the hallway. "It's about time you got up."  
  
"Yeah, well, I usually like to sleep after work outs like that one." Jack stood up and stretched before realizing that she was still naked. She pulled on a pair of ripped jeans and a tight black top. Nothing was going to happen today. It was just her and Dio spending some time together.   
  
He was still laughing at her last comment when she padded barefoot into the kitchen. He was leaning on the counter, wearing nothing but the jeans he had had on the day before. Stepping around his feet, she planted a kiss on his lips and reached through his arms for the coffee pot on the counter behind him. Grabbing a mug she poured herself some coffee.   
  
"So what's the plan for today?" she inquired, sipping her coffee. She winced. "Are you trying to kill me Dio? Could you possibly make this coffee any stronger? Jesus, why don't you just but cyanide in the damn stuff..."  
  
Dio just nodded and looked at her over the rim of his cup. "You're just weak," he whispered before sipping slowly.   
  
"The plan," he said, setting his cup down on the counter, "is that I don't know."  
  
"You don't know?" Dio rarely, if ever, was in a position when he didn't know something, and Jack knew it.  
  
"Do you want today plans, or future plans?" Dio asked.   
  
"Technically, I asked what the plans are for TODAY, but I guess I want both," she countered, staring at him.  
  
"Well, there's a new shipment of state-of-the-art weaponry arriving in a few days. There needs to be some room made for the guns. You got seven hundred newbies just ready and waiting to be trained, outfitted, and assigned into groups. There are at least fifty warehouses that need organizing, labeling, et cetera. And besides that, I have to actually come up with an attack plan."  
  
"Alright," Jack said, not fazed at all. Her days were usually this busy when Dio wasn't around, and she was extra busy when he was back, so this level of activity was normal. "What about future plans then?" she queried.  
  
Dio thought for a moment. "You need groceries."  
  
"That's it? I need groceries?"  
  
"Yeah. When I come here, I like sex, food, coffee and the occasional cigarette. You've so far given me three of those four. I expect more out of you, Jack."  
  
"Maybe you don't know me as well as you think you do."  
  
"Maybe you're full of shit," Dio said. Standing to his full height, he put his still half full cup on the counter.   
  
"Where are you going?" Jack asked. She had half-hoped they could spend some time together, despite both of their busy schedules.   
  
Dio gave her an unbelieving look. "I haven't been gone that long. You know where I'm going. To handle some business."  
  
"Oh," Jack said, glancing at the floor. She didn't want to, but she felt dejected. She knew he had things to do. Hell, this whole war against the Company wouldn't have even come about if it hadn't been for Dio. Still, she wished sometimes that they could spend a little more time together.  
  
"Don't give me that," Dio growled. "You know that I'm busy. You should be thankful that I even have time to see you in a day. Shit Jack, you know how it is."  
  
"Yeah, I do. I'm sorry Dio."  
  
"I suppose it's okay." He sighed and ran a hand over his face. "Listen, I gotta go. I guess I'll see you later baby girl."  
  
"Bye Dio."   
  
Jack walked him to the door. She wanted to give him a good-bye kiss, like the movie stars in the holodiscs did, but she didn't dare. Jack knew that he was already thinking about business, and she didn't want to be the reason that he became distracted from everything.   
  
The metal door whooshed shut behind Dio as he left the apartment. Sighing, Jack flopped down on the couch.   
  
"What are you going to do with that man Jack?" she wondered aloud, before finally getting up to shower. 


	19. Chapter 19 Riddick Finding His Niche

THREE DAYS LATER  
  
Riddick turned on the COM system in 'his' skiff. His training hadn't taken long, since everything they had tried teaching him he had already known. The only things he really had to 'study' on, so to speak, were the logistics of the whole mission. A shipment of guages had been captured on its way to 565 and Riddick was to take its place. Riddick knew he could get away with it, as long as the Company wasn't trying to dick him over.

If he killed Ruiz, he pleased the Company but pissed off the locals. If he decided to become a free man of his own will, he pissed off the Company who would probably ride in on their high horses, kill everyone with a guage and own the asses of anyone left over. He couldn't tell Ruiz what the deal was with him and the Company - he'd be shived in his sleep within the first day.

'Fuck,' he thought to himself, clenching his teeth. 'This might get messy. I guess it's a good thing that I'm used to shit like that.'

A crackling sound issued forth from the COM system.   
  
'Change the fucking frequency, asshole,' Riddick thought irritably. Things like that usually didn't get to him, but his sensitivity level was high. This was a dangerous mission, and he knew that if he didn't figure out what to do, he would be skull-fucked from every angle in the end.  
  
"Unidentified skiff, you are entering landing area of planet 565 of the Nazarek system. I repeat, this is an unfriendly landing site. You may not land here."  
  
"Control, this is Rebel666. I got a scheduled shipment of gauges specially made for you and yours."  
  
"I'm sorry sir," the voice came over the intercom. "I don't know what you are talking about. You may not land here Rebel666. Turn back, or we will use necessary force to keep you from landing here."  
  
"Sun a star on a nothing's back," Riddick replied into the set. That was the code the Company had given him to land on the planet.   
  
'Christ this had better work.'   
  
It was one thing to defend yourself on the ground, but Riddick's skiff didn't have any outer weaponry, and he was defenseless if they decided to shoot him out of space. He was reassured when the returning voice was friendly.  
  
"Welcome aboard, Rebel666. You just bought yourself access to landing dock 35. It's nice to have some support down here. Got our asses in a sling waiting for those weapons."  
  
"Glad to be of assistance," Riddick said. He was getting a headache. "Rebel666 out."   
  
"Control out."  
  
He looked out the front window of the skiff to the planet below. A gray mass of lifeless dirt, accented here and there by docking bay doors.   
  
Slowly Riddick maneuvered the skiff towards docking bay 35, labeled by large red numbers on the outer doors. After admitting Riddick, they shut immediately behind the skiff.  
  
'Little paranoid are we guys?'   
  
He supposed he would be too. Setting down the landing gear, he slowly set the ship down. Under normal circumstances he wouldn't baby the ship, but this was his ticket out of here if everything went well.   
  
Punching buttons, he opened the skiff door and stood on the end, riding down until it hit the floor. Looking around behind his goggles, he took in everything. People hustled everywhere, unloading other skiffs and putting things away. Stone floor, shelves attached to every inch of open wall space. Toolboxes, parts packages, and cigarette butts littered the floor. To an untrained observer's eye, it would look like the epitome of unorganization, but Riddick could see that everyone had a place to go and a job to do. And that was really what organization was.   
  
The door touched the stone floor almost without sound, and Riddick stepped off. He wondered if anyone was going to approach him or not. In all truth, he had no idea of how things went here. All his questions were answered with a voice.  
  
"Rebel666, welcome aboard." Riddick's head darted towards the soft, feminine voice. She was shorter than Riddick, probably near 5'4". Her long brown hair hung in a plait down the middle of her back. Her skin was smooth and a little lighter than Riddick's, her face tiny. She almost looked delicate to Riddick, as if a gust of wind would blow her away. But he knew better. His eyes lingered on her tattoos. There was writing on her wrist, and an unidentifiable shape on her shoulder. The top of one tattoo showed itself over her small shirt. His eyes trailed down the length of her body. She wore boots, much like Riddick's.  
  
'Work boots,' he observed. 'She's not just some desk jockey. She must be of some level of importance. Or at least she holds some level of activity.'   
  
Her pants were black and equipped with many zippered pockets. The shirt she wore had no sleeves and was very short, comfortably stretching itself over an ample chest before showing a little of her smooth stomach. Muscles were apparent under the skin of her arms, stomach, and shoulders, though they didn't bulge.   
  
Clearing her throat, she shifted her position, cocking a hip and crossing her arms over her chest where Riddick had been looking. He looked up to her face and realized that he couldn't look into her eyes. They were goggled like his, but her goggles were different. Smaller, to fit her face, and they shined as if they were new.  
  
'Either that or she takes very good care of them,' Riddick thought.   
  
"We both know I can't see your eyes," the woman said, "but just look at my goggles from now on hotshot. Got it?"  
  
Riddick smirked at her. "Sorry to offend," he said.   
  
Offering a hand, she cut the silence. "My name is Jack, and I'm in charge of the docking bays, among other things."  
  
Riddick's forehead wrinkled in concentration.  
  
'Jack? Where have I heard that name before? They told me my head might fucked up, but I can't remember anything. Goddamned quacks and their fucking drugs.'   
  
Blinking hard behind his goggles, he put his non-emotional mask back on. He would have to lie about his name, at least until Dio died. He just hoped that no one here would know who he was. "Richardson. Bruce Richardson. Where do you want the shipment?"  
  
"Oh, don't worry about that. My guys'll take care of it," she said, waving a hand at Riddick's skiff. "First order of business is to get you acquainted with everything." Jack smiled. "Follow me."  
  
Riddick did as he was told and followed Jack through the hustle-bustle of the docking bays. Many times crews, loading or unloading shipments, stopped them. They asked her questions, she gave her orders. Riddick admired her professional attitude, even though he could sense that some of these men were more personal to Jack than just work partners.  
  
'Pretty nice,' he thought to himself, a small smile twisting at the corner of his mouth. 'Not just her attitude either.'


	20. Chapter 20 Jack Plans

Jack stopped at the end of the docking bays, and Richardson almost ran into her.   
  
He said nothing, just grinned wolfishly. She would have to play it safe with this one.  
  
"Watch it next time," she said, clearly annoyed. Jack eyed him. "And I don't mean me."   
  
She'd have to keep her own hormones under control because he hadn't been the only one checking out some of the nice sights back there at the ship. She just hadn't made the mistake of moving her head like he had.  
  
'Men. They really have to stop making these stupid mistakes.'   
  
She smiled at her personal joke before opening the door she had stopped at.   
  
"Welcome home," she said, stepping outside with Richardson following. They found themselves in an alley between the bays and another building. "I don't know how much you know," she glanced at him and was relieved to see, by his facial expression, that he didn't know much. "Good. That makes it easier to explain to you then.  
  
"Explain away," Richardson said. Jack suddenly felt that he knew full well what was going on. He just wanted her version of it.   
  
"Planet 565, about five years ago, was an ACF. Absolute Containment Facility, that is. It was then taken over by ex-cons who were pissed at the Company. Still are pissed. The beginners expanded this city and eventually, one by one, turned every single prison section on this planet into piles of rubble. Just venting their anger I guess. It was a long process. It took almost three whole years to get Slam."  
  
Jack heard Richardson growl.  
  
"Oh, believe me, I understand completely. Did a year there. I feel sorry for the poor bastards that got sent there for life. How long were you in for?"  
  
Richardson smirked. "Life."  
  
She smiled uncomfortably. "Anyway, the rebels took down all the existing towns between prisons. They didn't want the Company sneaking up their asses in the middle of the night, using the towns as cover. It was a smart move. So," Jack spread her arms wide motioning to all the buildings around her, "they lived and prospered here for a little while, and now we have this lovely metropolis. The city of Kalpic.  
  
Everyone in Kalpic works toward the advancement of the resistance against the Company. We have just received sufficient proof that the Company and the military are pretty much one whole entity. It's not the best news in the world, but at least it prepares us for what we're going up against. All us ex-cons here want 565 for ourselves. Just a place to go and not bother anybody. We tried getting it the legal way, but the Company decided that they wanted to play hardball." Jack smirked at Riddick. "I don't think they realized how competitive we all are. To update you quickly on our situation, we're just now gathering troops, weaponry and information. When we have enough, we're planning an attack on some surrounding planets where military battalions are stationed. When we overtake this system, it's just a hop skip and a jump to Company HQ where we take out anyone we need to take out, use what we need to use, and fuck all the rest."  
  
Richardson smiled at Jack's little speech. Quite the vernacular this little woman had.  
  
Jack began walking forward, out of the alleyway behind the docking bays. She needed to find this Richardson somewhere to live. The barracks were a few blocks down, but Jack needed somewhere better for him to go. He looked like he might be important to both her and Dio later on.   
  
Bodyguard? her mind questioned, running through the list of 'special' occupations. She mentally ticked off the things he was probably good at. Physical work was a given. Richardson must have been twice as wide as Jack due to his muscle mass. He looked like a badass motherfucker and had been sentenced to life in Slam, so death was probably one of his old friends.  
  
He seemed to pilot well. Jack had hardly heard his skiff hit the ground, he set it down so gently. Of course, that didn't mean that he could dodge stars or maneuver any of the bigger ships, but she had a feeling that he could when the need called for it.  
  
Well, what does that add up to?  
  
Jack still didn't know. They had enough docking pilots and physical workers. He might be good at fighting, but then again, she didn't want him to die. He could be useful in other walks of the war. Maybe special operations. She hadn't really come up against this problem before. Her military instincts told her that he would be best working like the rest of the newbies. Either doing grunt work, or some blue-collar job. Something where if he screwed up, the whole rebellion wouldn't go down the hopper.   
  
But she felt as if that assumption were wrong. He didn't look like the kind to screw up. And if he did, he fixed things right quick. For a stranger Jack trusted him almost too much for her own good, especially this early in the game.   
  
Plus, she had a strange feeling that she had met him before. It hadn't been a bad meeting. He had done something for her, but she couldn't remember what it was. She couldn't remember if she had even met him before. It was just a hunch, and as much as Jack had learned to trust her hunches, they didn't always work out as planned. 


End file.
